Special Features
There are enough special features included here to make this DVD release something of a collector’s item. In addition to the inclusion of both uncut and modified versions, there is an original trailer and an extensive image gallery of posters, press books and additional pictorial information from the movie. There is also an informative half-hour documentary titled “Blood Beast: the Films of Michael Reeves” which gives valuable background into the man and his films, offering rare clips from his two earlier works The She-Beast and The Sorcerers as well as information about his early career with his idol, American director Don Siegel. It charts his attitude to cinema, his mounting ambition and talent, the events leading to the creation and filming of Witchfinder General, and also offers background into the completed film’s many subsequent censorship problems and intriguingly talks of the movie as almost a UK revenge western of sorts. This fusion of both genres and international sensibilities is implied to be a distinctive facet of Reeves’ career. Intriguingly, there is also included a Goth music video for “Matthew Hopkins” by the band Cathedral, which uses samples and clips from the movie, suggesting the film’s status in alternative subcultures. Finally there are trailers for Cradle of Fear, Shallow Grave and The Stepfather. In the absence of any comprehensive commentary track, these features at least serve to contextualize the film.
Wider Screenings Star Rating
The Movie: 4 stars
Picture: 3 ½ stars
Sound: 3 ½ stars
Extras: 3 stars
WS DVD rating: 3 ½ stars
Additional Reading
anecdote from Film Tales: Movie Trivia in the Age of DVD
Wider Screenings DVD Attractions Trailer
(courtesy of YouTube embedded video)